[Billy_Cart]

Hi all,

Have been a member of the forum for a few years now and got lots of info to assist build our home track which I thought I should share more details of.

Track Specifications

- SSD digital
- PB Pro SH with SSDC, RichG Tower & Pit Pro
- Track Length 40m approx (130 foot)
- Table Size 5.6m x 2.3m (18.5 x 7.5 foot)

Image of whole track in garage

Overhead view of layout (hope your too confused

A few shots of the pitlane

View from drivers stations

Crossover chaos

Quick overtaking attempt entering the chase just before the hairpin

Negotiating the hairpin at top speed

Exiting the hairpin through the Ess's & into the tunnel

Quiet farm scene (not likely those cows cope a canning when cars come off)

Fly past the grandstand

I'll post some video shortly now that I have mastered the photo posting thing.

 

[Ember]

About time we got to see this. Gosh, it's complex. More photos please.

Interested in introducing a pair of country bumpkins to digital racing at some stage? Got to take my folks to Marong some weekend to visit my brother. I might be in need of somewhere to escape to for a few hours of sanity.

 

[sealevel]

O.M.G. !

Trying to follow that layout must be challenging!

By any stretch of the imagination do you have a layout to make it easier to follow?

Also, your track lights look very interesting. If you could give us some closeups and/or explanation of how you made them that would be great.

You certainly have a fine layout there!

Congrats!

Cheers!

 

[Billy_Cart]

QUOTE (Ember @ 21 Oct 2010, 17:29) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>About time we got to see this. Gosh, it's complex. More photos please.

Interested in introducing a pair of country bumpkins to digital racing at some stage? Got to take my folks to Marong some weekend to visit my brother. I might be in need of somewhere to escape to for a few hours of sanity.

No worries Ember just let me know when you expect to be in Marong & PM me for address, I've also posted a few more pics in the original post now I know how to do it.

 

[Billy_Cart]

QUOTE (sealevel @ 21 Oct 2010, 17:45) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>O.M.G. !

Trying to follow that layout must be challenging!

By any stretch of the imagination do you have a layout to make it easier to follow?

Also, your track lights look very interesting. If you could give us some closeups and/or explanation of how you made them that would be great.

You certainly have a fine layout there!

Congrats!

Cheers!

Thanks Sealevel,

Unfortunately I do not have a track plan it has simply evolved over time as the kids & I raced and thought of new ideas (use the principal of try and jam as much track as possible onto table).

The track lights are not actually lights they are posts place over lane change track sensors so drivers know when to press the LC button, found this helpful for new drivers on such a complex layout. I used PVC down pipe brackets from the hardware store and cut the srew hole flap bits off.

It is certainly chaos to drive with 6 cars going flat out (but a lot of fun).

 

[Billy_Cart]

Here is an old video of our track taken 2 years ago but if you haven't seen it already it may help you follow the track better.

Hope to update with a new video soon.

 

[sealevel]

Thanks Billy Cart,

I now see what you mean about the lane change markers.
What about your long elevated lane in the middle....how is it supported? Does not look like Scaley standard supports.

Cheers!

 

[Kennee]

Hey,
Great work. Your newbs must get nearly as dizzy as mine.. I like the idea of the lane change markers, and glad someone else has that crane. Do the long grabbers reach all the way over?
Cheers

 

[Billy_Cart]

QUOTE (sealevel @ 21 Oct 2010, 18:37) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Thanks Billy Cart,

I now see what you mean about the lane change markers.
What about your long elevated lane in the middle....how is it supported? Does not look like Scaley standard supports.

Cheers!

Sealevel,

The middle straight is laid out on 3mm MDF sheets and supported by wood blocks cut to size and just placed underneath.

I originally set up this layout to be temporary however as we have added more scenary bits it will now require a major face lift to change too much.

 

[Billy_Cart]

QUOTE (Kennee @ 21 Oct 2010, 19:45) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hey,
Great work. Your newbs must get nearly as dizzy as mine.. I like the idea of the lane change markers, and glad someone else has that crane. Do the long grabbers reach all the way over?
Cheers

Thanks Kennee (I assume "Kenny from Humpty Doo")

Yes first up drivers can lose their car in the first few races but they eventually get the hang of it.

I couldn't believe it when I found the 1:32 crane set with the worker figures etc at the local servo a few years ago , they were my first figures (haven't seen another set like it anywhere since then).

The grabbers work well and can reach all the way over with a stretch but are good for the kids who don't have the height to lean over & pick up a car.

I have been seriously looking at your layout for a potential re-model but not quiet game yet & still trying to figure out where to place the crossover.

 

[sealevel]

Thanks, Billy Cart.

It is certainly a massive layout. Lots of interesting features, like the "tunnel", pit lane, etc.

Do you have any problems with deslots? Just wondering how hard it is to reset a car and how often the deslots happen.

Keep up the excellent work.

Cheers!

 

[Minardi]

Nice to see your track in pictures, I remembered your video's and especially the crashes. With this lay-out I reckon there is a big home-advantage when having guests over.
Always interesting to see what others have included in there lay-out. The LC-indicators is a great idea. And I must say, I like your car collection too. I have one Holden and like It very much, It's a shame we have to import them and that they are not available in the shops here. Great cars.

More pictures please, I'd like to see pit in.

PS the ' It's only temporay and now It is too much work to start all over again' sounds very familiar. In the end, after 3 years, I took It all out and started again. Now I am glad I did, but I know exactly how you feel right now. It is a big step.

 

[Marty]

Hi Phil

Great to see your track and what an awesome layout, you certainly have got a lot of track into the area available. Looks like a good challenge to get the hang of.

There is never enough room in a blokes shed to store stuff and fit more table and track in, a constant challenge for us.

If you ever get round to putting it on track power or something I'd love to see it, you must do it if you're thinking of changing it.

Keep the pics coming and thanks for promoting INOX to me, I see many others have realise dit's benefits.

Marty

 

[Billy_Cart]

QUOTE (sealevel @ 22 Oct 2010, 18:15) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Thanks, Billy Cart.

It is certainly a massive layout. Lots of interesting features, like the "tunnel", pit lane, etc.

Do you have any problems with deslots? Just wondering how hard it is to reset a car and how often the deslots happen.

Keep up the excellent work.

Cheers!

Sealevel,

Deslots when they occur are always a problem but once you get used to the twists & turns and the odd blind spot you can circulate pretty well, however new drivers have a few problems slowing down for the hair pin and negotiating the turns underneath the middle straight. Each year I have the kids football teams around for race nights and to avoid deslot hell we race "crash & burn" rules so the kids are keen to stay on the track for as long as they can.

The big deslots occurr with collisions at the crossover which the kids love and this adds a real interesting aspect to our racing which is timing to avoid a collision and the near missess are more fun than the collisions.

Reslotting is pretty easy as most adults can reach all areas of the track and the grabbers work well when needed.

 

[Billy_Cart]

QUOTE (Minardi @ 22 Oct 2010, 20:29) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Nice to see your track in pictures, I remembered your video's and especially the crashes. With this lay-out I reckon there is a big home-advantage when having guests over.
Always interesting to see what others have included in there lay-out. The LC-indicators is a great idea. And I must say, I like your car collection too. I have one Holden and like It very much, It's a shame we have to import them and that they are not available in the shops here. Great cars.

More pictures please, I'd like to see pit in.

PS the ' It's only temporay and now It is too much work to start all over again' sounds very familiar. In the end, after 3 years, I took It all out and started again. Now I am glad I did, but I know exactly how you feel right now. It is a big step.

Thanks Minardi,

There is certainly a home ground advantage for me on a race night however I handicap myself for some races by starting in front of the start finish line or the other night we raced 6 x 20 lap races plus a 10 lap rally stage with 6 points awarded for a win, 5 points for second etc and I excluded myself from the rally stage points (it meant I came 3rd overall by 2 points

)

The car collection has now reached about 70 cars and we have 22 Aussie V8's with 10 we use as track cars and because they are the scaley high impact resistent type cars they are great for coping the wear & tear our track delivers with crossover collisions & groups of 20+ kids racing etc.

I have watched your rebuild of your track (looks great) and I reckon I will have to do it sometime in the future so I'll keep up my track surfing here to get ideas.

The pit lane entry is shown in this photo which is the 2nd turn after the intersection crossover exit

 

[Billy_Cart]

QUOTE (Marty @ 23 Oct 2010, 01:38) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi Phil

Great to see your track and what an awesome layout, you certainly have got a lot of track into the area available. Looks like a good challenge to get the hang of.

There is never enough room in a blokes shed to store stuff and fit more table and track in, a constant challenge for us.

If you ever get round to putting it on track power or something I'd love to see it, you must do it if you're thinking of changing it.

Keep the pics coming and thanks for promoting INOX to me, I see many others have realise dit's benefits.

Marty

Thanks Marty,

I have tried to do a bit of track planning with different software but always end up chucking it in and using the build and see principle but I do like looking at the various plans you see posted here so I will have to have another go at it especially seeing I want to incorporate a 2 lane pitlane in the future and I've been told the table's not allowed to get bigger.

Your right about the INOX MX3, it has been the best laziest 3 years of SSD racing now I don't have to maintain an immaculately clean track (the weekly cleaning on a track this size gets pretty tiresome eventually)

I'll post a few more pics shortly with other than Aussie V8's on the track (although I just love the V8's)

 

[Minardi]

QUOTE There is certainly a home ground advantage for me on a race night however I handicap myself for some races by starting in front of the start finish line or the other night we raced 6 x 20 lap races plus a 10 lap rally stage with 6 points awarded for a win, 5 points for second etc and I excluded myself from the rally stage points (it meant I came 3rd overall by 2 points )

The car collection has now reached about 70 cars....

The pit lane entry is shown in this photo which is the 2nd turn after the intersection crossover exit

Sounds all very familiar, and I have about the same amount of cars. Now how did I miss that pit lane picture is beyond me. In fact, It is in the same spot as my track, except I have a XLC before to enter.

I haven't handicapped myself yet, I have about as much track time as the rest of the guys. Sure, once in a while while I am busy with the track I practice a little, but on race nights I loose track time setting up SSDC, preparing track, make sure everyone has a drink etc., so as long as the guy sdon;t complain...

I am curious to know how you set up your rally stage, because that is one thing I would like to add to the competition. Do you count the total time for 10 laps ? Is It with one car on track and everybody races that same car ? I have been thinking to do that, and add obstacles on the track so people have to change lanes to negotiate them. Curious what you guys do for rallying on your track.

regards, Marcel

 

[Billy_Cart]

QUOTE (Minardi @ 23 Oct 2010, 20:26) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I am curious to know how you set up your rally stage, because that is one thing I would like to add to the competition. Do you count the total time for 10 laps ? Is It with one car on track and everybody races that same car ? I have been thinking to do that, and add obstacles on the track so people have to change lanes to negotiate them. Curious what you guys do for rallying on your track.

regards, Marcel

MInardi,

We simply use the same car to do a 10 lap rally race on the PB and everyone marshalls but the driver uses track call button if they crash and we just manually record everyones total time for the 10 lap rally stage.

 

[Marty]

Hi Phil

I agree, love the V8s and also the INOX it certainly has made racing so much better, once every few months not every week.

Look forward to some more pics, which reminds me I should update mine soon.

Marty

 

[agrojim]

Wow great track.
Hoping to upgrade to a layout as elaborate as that once I've finished with my AFX scenery.
Nice to know I'm not the only big kid in Bendigo!